Hello all! I'm back, alive and safe. It's been a rough week, especially not being able to blog. I can live without power but the internet, it's been brutal!
So I know the title of this post may seem a bit scary but a blackout during one of the coldest weeks so far this year is not all sunshine and rainbows. The wonderful men & women of CL&P got our power up and running last night 6:00 pm (11/3, Thursday) after it went out 4:00 pm last Saturday (10/29). There are still over 200,000 people without power but that's down from the original tally of over 900,000. Would you believe they had to cancel Halloween for most of CT? A lot of towns rescheduled for this upcoming Saturday; however, it makes sense why they asked people not to trick-or-treat. There could have been serious injuries.
I'm really in awe over how amazing towns worked together, neighbors helping neighbors... Also, you learn a lot from people. One thing which I giggle about is when the traffic lights go out. People do not realize the are supposed to treat the intersections as 4-way stops. Everyone started catching on after a while. It's all good now! :)
Through it all there was very minimal serious injuries and sadly a few deaths. I wanted to put together a list of how we survived this past week without power. Perhaps, it will help others when it comes time to thinking about what you need when the lights go out ♥ I have to give all the kudos to Charlie (the greatest man in my life) for making this week livable for us.
KT & Charlie's Survival Guide
[make sure when the power goes out to turn off all electricity]
*[top left photo] Make sure you have some propane tanks on hand. The cost around $20. The first main use is for a grill. If you lose power and can't cook inside, resort to cooking outdoors! Also, if you purchase a space heater (thankfully, Charlie's sister had one for us to borrow for the week), some run off propane. You just need to be extremely careful that you know how to use them and there is enough oxygen, etc because you don't want anyone to get CO poisoning.
*[top right photo] You need to remember your little fur balls can also freeze just like you. If you end of going someplace to keep warm, don't forget about those little rug rats.
*[mid right photo] Hats! Scarves! Socks! Warm clothes! Be sure to have thick clothes if you want to stay at home during a blackout because the nights will get super cold, also during the day. If it's warmer outside than inside throughout the day, open windows to let some fresh air in and it gives the cold air an opportunity to escape!
*[bottom right photo] Cell phones, lap tops, chargers I'm always thinking how crazy it is that we depend so much on cell phones. Well, when land lines go, power lines are blocking you from leaving your home believe me.. you want a cell phone. Be sure to have a car charger so you can run out and charge that bad boy up. You'll need it!
*[top left photo] Charlie was smart to put blankets over the windows to trap heat in. So, blankets are so important. Probably, the most important. You want something to wrap around you at night. Sleeping bags are good too. Mmhmm!
*[top right photo] We purchased those methanol gels and tin foil pans to boil water in to make coffee and hot coa coa. I do not drink coffee but I sure loved my cups of hot chocolate! Also, it helped us to warm up leftovers that his mother (who had power) made for us. What a clever idea, Charlie gets another pat on the back for that one too!
*[bottom left photo] Always have a lot of clean towels on hand. Since you won't have power to keep rewashing towels just always stock up. Also, if you have as wonderful friends like we do that let us shower at their home you'll want to bring towels over so you don't keep using theirs (which I did, oops. I love them).
*[bottom right photo] Flashlights, batteries, candles, matches, lighters, little radios (less than $10 for the one in the picture). All necessities, I feel. You want to be able to see your way around the house, using the bathroom (yes, I said it!), walking outside and just being able to know what is going on in the outside world.
*[top left photo] It's going to be difficult to keep beverages such as milk from going bad. I recommend putting a cooler together outside with ice or snow (if you had as much as we did) and packing it up with some beverages. I personally love my Crystal Light packs that can be mixed in those bottles of water.
*[top right photo] Is it possible for me to write a post and leave wine out? No way, Jose. That also keeps you warm. :)
*[bottom left photo] If you get a thermos you can buy coffee like my father did and pour the cups in there. It stays warm all day.
*[bottom right photo] Those are the methanal gel containers that Charlie bought. They're small and easy to use. They're safe to, believe me!
There you have it. It worked for us. ♥
I'm so happy to be back. I've missed everyone! ♥
